z/VM RSU Installation Considerations

Updated: April 2024

The sections that follow provide important information regarding the installation of various z/VM RSU deliverables, for your awareness and consideration as you prepare to install RSU service.

z/VM V730 (7302RSU and Later)

  • Be aware that a VMSES/E problem has been identified, which surfaces when a SERVICE ALL envelope_fname command is used to process an RSU or COR service envelope (SERVLINK) file. If this form of the SERVICE command is used to process the 7302 (or later) RSU, its service updates will be correctly installed, and this service can be placed into production without incident. However, the service status information maintained by VMSES/E for these RSU-updated components will be corrupted:

    • 7302RSU: CP, DIRMAINT and VMHCD
    • 7303RSU or 7304RSU: CP, CMS, VMSES, LE, TCPIP, PERFTK, DIRMAINT and VMHCD

    Note:
    PTF UM90258 for APAR VM66680 is available to address this problem. If possible, this PTF should be applied alone, as corrective (COR) service, before any 730 level RSU is installed.

    To avoid this corruption without having applied PTF UM90258, any 730 RSU service should be installed on a component-by-component basis, using these instructions:

    1. Log on the MAINT730 user ID

      For 7302RSU:

    2. Enter: service vmses envelope_fname
    3. Enter: service cp envelope_fname
    4. Enter: service dirm envelope_fname
    5. Enter: service vmhcd envelope_fname

      Additionally, for 7303RSU or 7304RSU:

    6. Enter: service cms envelope_fname
    7. Enter: service le envelope_fname
    8. Enter: service tcpip envelope_fname
    9. Enter: service perftk envelope_fname

    You then can proceed with your normal service testing, and when ready, can run PUT2PROD as you normally would to place this service into production.

    If you already installed 730 RSU service using the SERVICE ALL envelope_fname command, the corrupt service status information can be corrected by using these commands:

    1. Log on the MAINT730 user ID

      For 7302RSU:

    2. Enter: service cp build
    3. Enter: service dirm build
    4. Enter: service vmhcd build

      Additionally, for 7303RSU or 7304RSU:

    5. Enter: service ses build
    6. Enter: service cms build
    7. Enter: service le build
    8. Enter: service tcpip build
    9. Enter: service perfkit build

      For all RSU service levels:

    10. If you already had run PUT2PROD, then you need to now run it again: put2prod
    11. If you have not yet run PUT2PROD, it now should be run, and the system IPLed, as would normally be done to complete your service installation.

    The service status information reported by the command: 

    service cp status allapars
    (or, status for any individual APAR or PTF) now should report the correct status (Received, Applied, Built and/or Production) for the PTFs applied to the system.

z/VM V720 (7204RSU)

  • Before installing RSU 7204, the size of the 7VMHCD20 29D minidisk must be increased. Its current size is 12 cylinders (17,280 512-KB blocks). You should increase the disk to 30 cylinders (43,200 512-KB blocks) using the directory management procedures that pertain to your system. If this is not done, you will encounter a disk full error (similar to the following) when the 7204 RSU is installed: 
     ...
 VMFINS2603I Processing product :PPF SERVP2P VMHCD :PRODID 7VMHCD20%VMHCD
 ...
 VMFREC1851I (6 of 6) VMFRCALL processing HELP
 VMFRCA2159I Loading part(s) to BUILD2 29D (J)
 VMFRCA2159I Loaded 17 part(s) to BUILD2 29D (J)
 DMSERD107S Disk J(29D) is full
 DMSCPY105S Error 13 writing file COPYFILE CMSUT1 J1 on disk or directory
 VMFRCA1965E Command VMFSIM MODIFY failed with RC=100 while operating upon file VMSES PARTCAT on 29D (J)
 VMFREC1965E Command VMFRCALL failed with RC=100 when issued with argument(s): HELP * * BUILD2
 VMFREC2760I VMFREC processing completed unsuccessfully
 VMFINS2760I VMFINS processing completed unsuccessfully
 VMFSUI1965E Command VMFINS failed with RC=8 when issued with argument(s):
             INSTALL PPF SERVP2P VMHCD (NOMEMO NOLINK OVERRIDE NO NOSETUP ENV RSU_env_filename
 ...
 VMFSUI2760E VMFSUFIN processing completed unsuccessfully (RC=100)
 VMFSUI1211I A Checkpoint Restart Record has been created for package RSU_env_filename in the
             System-Level Restart Table
 HCPUSO045E BLDRACF not logged on
 VMFSRV1965E Command VMFSUFIN failed with RC=100 when issued with argument(s): ALL ( NOPROMPT
             RSUENV RSU_env_filename
 VMFSRV2310W Program restart file, SERVICE $RESTART, has been created or persists due to errors.
             Correct reported errors, then restart SERVICE using the command that follows:
             SERVICE RESTART RSU_env_filename
  • If you are installing the 7204RSU and have not previously installed:
    • the z/VM 2102RSU or,
    • COR service PTF UM35859, for VMSES APAR VM66508 (VMFSRV2760W APPLYING VM66173 UM35834 WITH RACF)

    then you first need to apply this VMSES PTF (which is itself included as part of the 7204RSU).

    Doing so is strongly advised for customers that have RACF configured and in use on the subject system, so as to avoid RACF-related VMSES/E processing errors and additional actions to apply the 7204 RSU. Consult the Red Alert dated 22 March 2021 (with update June 2021) for information on what actions are needed to resolve these errors. The Red Alert can be found at: https://www.vm.ibm.com/service/redalert/#RACF1

    This can be accomplished in this manner:

    1. Run the SERVICE command to apply VMSES component service ahead of any other RSU supplied service: 
       service vmses RSU_env_filename
      This will result in all of the RSU VMSES service being in place for use in processing the remainder of the RSU service.
    2. Process RSU service for all affected z/VM components 
       service all RSU_env_filename
      The SERVICE command will again first process the VMSES component (it is always processed first for an RSU, if present), but it will find that all of that service now been applied, and will move on to the remaining component service on the RSU.
  • After the 7204 RSU installation is complete, the corrective service PTFs listed here should be applied: 
              PTF IN          SOLVING
 DATE     ERROR   APAR    PTF     COMP ABSTRACT
 ======== ======= ======= ======= ==== ===================================================
 22/04/01         VM66370 UM35907 CP   HIPER ABENDHTT001 HCPERM+56A WHILE ISSUING HCP6525E

z/VM V6.4 (6406RSU and later)

  • The z/VM V6.4 6406RSU includes RACF service that requires a template update. Please see the RACFVM640 upgrade, 1901RSU subset for special instructions that pertain to this template update. Click here:  RACFVM640